Visiting the great mountains of Japan must include the volcanic range between Miyagi and Yamagata known as Mt.Zaou, where the highest peak is Kumanotake standing 1841m.

Travelling there means a three-hour ride on the Yamagata Shinkansen. Time will fly by like the scenery outside the window of the train and soon you'll arrive at Kamiyama-onsen Station. From Kamiyama head to the summit of Kumano-take and Zaou-onsen in Yamagata. The range comprises many mountains and has an active volcano which last erupted in the 1930s.

Displays of ice-covered trees and craters will greet you from Zaou which is accessed from the Zaou National Park. Entrance to the park is in Kaminoyama city. Tsukioka Park is a good viewing area which also offers picture post-card views of the Magino Region. Apart from the mountain ranges, visitors can appreciate the white cherry blossoms in the park. The cherries from the trees are harvested in June and sold at a fair in nearby Kanaoi.

The Sankisa Fair is among the many fairs that are held during Spring in the region. Most fairs are linked to a religious festival and Hayama, the main guardian god in northeast Japan.

The mountain plays a big role in the lives of villagers in the region and it's common to find fairs and festivies held on the mountain side. The Zaou mountain the furthest mountain to the rear of the range is also worshipped by villagers who believe that spirits live in the mountains. This is partly related to local funeral rites where the villagers bury their dead relatives at the mountain's foot in the belief that when the spirit leaves the body, it will ascend to the Zaou mountaintop to protect families and the village for 33 years before they reach Heaven.

You don't have to be a spirit of course, to ascend mountains such as Sankichisan, just look for footpaths that are usually well worn by the constant flow of visitors and villagers. A climb up the Sankichisan takes about 40 minutes to reach the peak where there are views of Chizou-dake, Kumano-dake and Katta-dake which make up the Zaou Range. On the mountain top is a temple for the villagers. It usually becomes crowded on the 3rd of May when the Sankichi Shrine Rite is held.
To go further into Zaousan in Ishimaru, take a bus which enters the mountain region, climbing up to 1360 metres.

Stopping at the Nishizaou Plateau,located in the south of Yamagata, visitors will see cherry blossoms of varies shades of pink and species in full glory.

The blossoms of the pink sakura light up the entire region from Nishizaou Park and have been there since being introduced in the Heian Period. Taking a leaf from the sakura is a soba house which named itself Oyamazakura. It is a local favourite with soba made in winter with Zaou's extremely cold, naturally filtered water from Ryuzangawa and wheat grown in the local volcanic soil.

The soba called kanzarashi soba is best enjoyed as a set meal which comes in large proportions. The soba is firm and tastes sweeter and more flavoursome with each bite. What makes kanzara soba so special is the wheat which is prepared in winter and left in cold water for 20 days, creating a change in the starch and sugar content. Another reason why kanzara soba is so special is the fact that it's available only until mid-June.

To make the most of the mountain escapade is to stay over in Zaou-onsen. The area is on a plateau 880m high, right in the middle of Zaousan and built around a hot spring discovered around 1900 years ago. The hot spring also serves as a public bath and what's unique about a visit to it is what locals call Zaou's Yunohana. The Yunohana, or hot spring incrustation is extracted from the river right next to the hot spring bath. Yunohana is found attached to the rocks and can be easily collected before being left to dry and shaped into balls. The source of the Yunohana can also be distinctly smelt when visiting the hot spring. The smell of sulphur which locals call yubatake is strong and common in Zaou-onsen. It's another reason why Yunohana is said to possess many curative properties. Taking a dip in the spring will be relaxing after the strain of a climb with the water around a comfortable 38 degrees Celsius.

The hotel of choice is in the town centre. Opened in 1989, Yamanotado-kura has 8 rooms, all Japanese style and its own open air hot spring. It usually serves visitors during the mountaineering season, but even if you're not into mountaineering, you'll be able to appreciate it with the room's views of the mountain and the ropeway. Dinner at the hotel will feature local-produce which is mainly wild vegetables with dishes such as
akebi spring sprouts and wild vegetable tempura, along with rockfish baked in salt. The entire fish which lives in the snow water of the mountain is covered in salt and baked till it forms a hard crust around the fish, bringing out its true flavour. It's a local specialty which should not be missed as the cooking method removes all the moisture, yet the fish remains firm-fleshed,like dried fish. There's also Zaou beef from a local farm for shabu-shabu. The owner of the hotel used to be a mountaineer and serves as vice chairman of the Zaousan Instructors Society, so in his free time he takes his guests on discovery trips such as a climb up to the summit of Kumano-dake which is 1841 metres high. The walk will be a nature ramble with fields of skunk cabbage, large-sized blooms and the swamp of Shigi-no-yachi.

To get to the summit, take the ropeway to Jizousanchoub which is the only passage to Kumano-dake. It takes 30 minute to reach the top of Jizousan. From the first peak, climb further via the road for 90 minutes to the summit of Kumano-dake. Along the way, lava formations will amaze climbers as the summits of Gandosan which is 1736 metres and Ryusan in the distance, keep watch. Since the summit of the Zaou Range will still be covered in snow even in spring, visitors can go spring skiing or just sliding down the snowy slopes. On reaching the summit you'll see a gate like the one on Mount Fuji as well as a shrine. The Zaousan Shrine was built 1300 years ago and gives climbers a chance to say thanks to the gods for protecting them on the trek up. Okama,the symbol of Zaou can also be found at the summit. Zaou's crater lake, famous for its emerald water, is entirely frozen in winter. The crater is so large, a small hill formed in the crater followed by the lake which appeared after another eruption.

Aother awe-inspiring natural landscape is Yufudake,a 1584m high, active volcano famous for the many mentions made of it in historical writings. It stands between Yufu and Beppu in Oita province and is also known in Bungo-fuji. The summit of Yufudake can be reached by circling around Yufuin. It takes an hour via the Kyudai Line to reach Yufuin Station from Oita. Yufudake standing majestically right in front of the station will greet each of the some 3.3 million visitors who come to Yufuin every year. It is just a 10 minute walk from the station to get a close-up look of the two peaks and rugged rocks that have a really unique appearance.
There's a shrine nearby as the locals believe that Yufuin was once a lake until the goddess Unaguhime who is regarded as Yufuin's guardian, drained its water to create this land.

Apart from great views, the area is also home to Japan's No.1 deep-fried yamabiko served at a photo gallery.

Most of the photos are portraits of Yufuin in different seasons and with varying scenery. The owner set up the gallery so visitors could have a pleasant wait while orders are whipped up for snacks of locally-raised chicken meat marinated in soy sauce before being deep-fried in quality oil. The chicken can get sold out early but the gallery also serves set lunches and rice balls, along with a grand view of the mountains.
To the east of Yufudake are local villagers who use the hot springs to cure logs that go into construction and also to cook.

Water quality in volcanic areas is very good and most famous is Yufu water. It can be found at the Tsukahara Plateau and bubbles from the ground when dug deep enough,as some locals have done, setting up special wells which gush even after three decades. The water which emerges at a temperature of 11 degrees, is slightly acidic and full of minerals.

Walk around this 600m high plateau and discover wild edible flowers. The perilla flower goes in rice crisps called "Poko-apoko" made locally by a family that's been in the same business for nearly two decades. Only natural ingredients and herbs go into the rice crisps which have the sweet taste of rice and is full of fragrance.
As the flowers change seasonally, the family offers eight different types of rice crisps around the year.

Visitors can stay overnight at a hotel located deep in the mountain. It is up the 700m high Okue and can be a little hard to find. But a stay is worth it with its wooden architecture that bring out the nature feel.
Established 10 years ago,Okuyu-no-sato is a country hostel. Apart from views of the mountains the hostel has a great hot spring discovered three years ago. A home-made dinner at the hostel includes generous portions of beef, and colourful dishes of natural ingredients, such as miso soup with 11 types of vegetables and homegrown mushrooms.
To take on the summit, grab a bus from the station. As the bus keeps climbing, Yufudake becomes more spectacular.

The ride stops at the entrance to the trekking path which offers a breathtaking view of Yufudake. The trek will offer a spectacular scene of green and mountain as the 800 metre climb passes through a forest. It takes an hour to emerge from the forest at Yufuin Hollow. The path becomes more difficult as it ascends the 1584m high summit. But the effort will be majestically rewarded from the summmit.